Page 31 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“Only child here,” she said. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Water is good,” he said.

She pulled out two bottles of water and then put them on the table. “Sit, let’s eat.”

They filled their plates while they sat. “You said your father passed away and was in law enforcement,” he said. “Was he a marshal too?”

Andi let out a sigh. This was where things got tricky.

She never wanted to outright lie, but she honestly hadn’t been put in this position before either. She hadn’t gotten close enough to people in the past few years to have them asking her so many personal questions.

“Yes,” she said.

He nodded while he chewed some of the lasagna that he’d taken a bite of. “And you can’t say much more,” he said. “Got it.”

He knew. There was no use agreeing or disagreeing. Or he knew the rules anyway. If he didn’t ask, she didn’t have to lie, as simpleasthat.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“No worries. It’s just a dinner date. How about your mother?” he asked. “Not around?”

“No,” she said. “My mother left when I was younger. She had other plans in life and just went to do them.”

“That’s hard,” he said. “And sad.”

“It is. I can tell you that it didn’t surprise me. I don’t remember when it was I figured out that my mother had gotten pregnant and that is why they married.”

“So not one of those romantically in love type things.”

Andi laughed when he said that. “I have no clue. They’d been dating for maybe six months. She found out she was pregnantand my father did the right thing. He always did the right thing. That was just his moral code.”

“And your cousin Jack, is that your father’s side of the family?” he asked.

She closed one eye at him. “If you’re asking if he shares the same moral traits as my father, yes.”

He nodded again and laughed. She didn’t lie but didn’t give him the answer to his question either.

“Back to your mother,” he said. “No contact for years?”

She laughed. “None,” she said. “I lived with my father and was glad for it. We were close. I was thinking of him before you got here.”

“Why is that?” he asked.

She took another bite of the lasagna and could appreciate that he’d gotten something somewhat soft for her to eat with the two broken teeth.

“I haven’t dated since his death. He always gave me a hard time with men.”

“I think my father would have done that if I had a sister.Insteadit was my mother who gave us a hard time.”

“Really?” she asked. “You have to tell me why. I find this fascinating. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a guy say that to me before.”

“There were two reasons for it. One, she wanted to make sure we treated any woman with respect. Alex,hehad a bit of a reputation as a player back in the day. Not like he cheated.”

“Just had a lot of women that he wasn’t serious with?” she asked.

“Something like that. Macwas different. He’s stable but just quiet. He didn’t focus on women much. Had relationships here and there, but on thisislandit’s hard to find someone. Especially with the name Bond and they realize the side you’re on.”

“That is just silly. I mean let’s be honest. You all have great jobs and careers. It’s not like anyone is a bum. We all have people in our family going generations back or even recent that are bums. Or losers. Whatever word you want to use.”

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